John Sheppard
Major John Sheppard of the United States Air Force had been based in Antarctica for
nine months after earning a black mark on his record for disobeying a direct order
(he attempted to rescue the lives of three servicemen while in Afghanistahn). He
flies General Jack O'Neill to the Ancient outpost in Antarctica; it's there that he
accidentally discovers he has the Ancient gene. Dr. Elizabeth Weir, impressed with
his natural ability at controlling Ancient technology, personally requests his
participation in the Atlantis expedition. Sheppard, having become used to living
in Antarctica and apparently a bit of a loner, is relunctant to join, but O'Neill
convinces him to participate.

A natural leader, John heads a mission to rescue those initially captured by the
Wraith; later, he becomes Atlantis's chief military officer following the death
of Colonel Marshall Sumner. In Season 2, John is officially made the military
leader of the Atlantis expedition and is promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

John has a clear idea of right and wrong, though he can't always articulate reasons
for his feelings. However, he tends to side with his gut instincts. At times, he
can be rather impulsive, and he sometimes clashes with Elizabeth because of this;
they also occasionally clash when it comes to military versus non-military matters.
Although he appears to be rather self-deprecating and likes to downplay (or at least
not draw attention to) his intelligence, he is an extremely capable military officer
and a mathematical genius.

His relationships with other characters vary, but by Season 3, he comes to view Elizabeth,
Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon as his "family," all of whom he would die for. As the leaders of
Atlantis, John and Elizabeth are in similar positions, and though they sometimes conflict,
they genuinely respect one another, care for each other, and understand each other. John's
relationship with Dr. Rodney McKay is a friendship/rivalry that creates a lot of fun snark
throughout the series. John is the first to make friends with Teyla Emmagan, the leader of
a native group of aliens called the Athosians. The two appear to have a close friendship
based on their mutual trust of each other. Lt. Aiden Ford looks up to John, at least until
Ford's dramatic change at the beginning of Season 2. Ronon Dex initially seems to grudgingly
accept John's authority based on rank, but eventually, he comes to respect and to like John,
especially by Season 3. John is amiable to Dr. Carson Beckett, but his relationships with
higher military personnel, such as Colonel Steven Caldwell, are often strained. Though
Elizabeth and Teyla appear to be potential love interests for John, so far, his relationship
with both have remained platonic, not including possession by aliens or Wraith retroviruses;
in the meantime, he has had several romantic/sexual relationships with female aliens.

There is a private side to John that he doesn't share with anyone, even his friends, as
seen in Season 1's "Rising," "Home," and "Letters from Pegasus." Although he gets along
with most everyone on Atlantis and appears quite friendly, there's a part of him that he
seems to keep closed off, some hidden angst in his past, perhaps related to his blackmark
or not. In Season 3's "Phantoms," we learn more about the incident that earned him his
blackmark.

Random Facts: Likes ferris wheels, college football, anything that goes over 200
miles per hour, turkey sandwiches, and flying ("Rising"). Has flown a variety of military
planes ("Rising"). Was nicknamed "Shep" by his good friends Mitch and Dex, who were
killed in a mission years ago ("Home"). Took the MENSA test and passed, but never joined
("The Brotherhood," "Coup d'etat"). Was predicted by some to never rank past captain
("Intruder"). Is apparently not good with computers ("Intruder"). Keeps a guitar in his
room (hopefully not to play) ("Conversion").